ITOJE: WE’D EVEN BEAT THE AUSSIES AT DRINKING

MARO ITOJE cut through England’s coronavirus chaos to say he’d back his team to beat Australia – even at beer drinking.

Lock star Itoje leads his country out at Twickenham tonight against the Wallabies on the occasion of his 50th cap.

He does so with England, for the second week in a row, plunged into pre-match turmoil by a positive Covid result.

Ellis Genge (right, above) has followed fellow prop Joe Marler in contracting coronavirus – leaving Eddie Jones to hand a debut to 21-year old Bevan Rodd. Itoje said: “England-Australia across any sport, be it cricket, rugby – even drinking beer – is always fairly intense. The fans let you know about it.

“I might not be in the 23 for the beer-drinking squad, but I’d back our boys. We’re ready to go.” England are odds-on favourites to make it eight wins out of eight in the fixture under Jones.

They give a debut to 21-year-old Rodd (left, below) at prop and have fly-half Marcus Smith, 22, calling the shots for the first time from the off.

“We need to have our heads screwed on because Australia are a country who keep on coming at you,” warned Itoje (right). If we look at past games thinking we’ll win this game, we’ll be in trouble. The team that dwells on those most will suffer.”

The Saracens star says reaching 50 caps is “one of the great honours in my life”.

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity and to be part of this group,” he added. “But we have to see this game as a fresh opportunity and attack it with a mindset to really go after them.

“I am willing to do whatever the team needs me to do for the team to be successful.

“There’s no ego here, there’s not anything like that. I just want to make this team successful.”